1. We’ve all been mispronouncing his name. His birth certificate reads Monteé Lowell Ball. Notice the accent. Only his girlfriend, Ann Marie Jahnke, calls him: Mon-TAY. His mom favors “Junior” and his sisters go with “Monts.”
2. Barry Sanders scored 39 touchdowns in 11 games in 1988. (The NCAA did not count his five touchdowns in the Holiday Ball against Wyoming.) Ball has scored 38 touchdowns in 13 games, but he has scored every 7.8 times he has touched the ball. Sanders scored every 10.1 times.
3. Ball idolized the Broncos’ Terrell Davis, largely for his blocking skills, but the St. Louis-area native wears No. 28 in honor of Marshall Faulk.
4. Ball’s 1,759 rushing yards leads the nation, and his 6.4 yard-per-carry average is second to Oregon’s LaMichael James among backs with at least 200 carries.
5. Ball said he will ask coach Bret Bielema to get an NFL evaluation before deciding whether to turn pro or return to Madison for his senior season. Said Bielema: “I keep trying to tell him how much better he’ll be if he comes back.”
